(We yield this space to the statement of the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform due to its timeliness. – Ed.)
WE DENOUNCE the rash of extrajudicial killings that has terrorized the island of Negros. We support the joint pastoral letter of Bishops Gerardo Alminaza (San Carlos City), Julito Cortes (Dumaguete City), Patricio Buzon (Bacolod City), and Louie Galbines (Kabankalan City) condemning the killings. We condole with the families of the 17 victims, including a one-year-old baby, that were killed during the month of July alone. May God’s consoling hands be with them in their time of grief. We also offer our prayers to the families of the four police officers who were also killed in an attack by the New People’s Army on July 14.
The island of Negros has experienced a very disturbing pattern of human rights violations in recent times since the murder of known human rights lawyer, Atty. Ben Ramos, the massacre of nine farmers in Sagay City in 2018 and the mass killings on March 30 of 14 farmers by police officers in Canlaon City and Manjuyod and Santa Catalina towns in Negros Oriental. There was also the illegal arrest of Jimmy Teves, a pastor of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines and his members in Buenavista, Himamaylan, Negros Occidental on June 26. The recent victims included two lawyers, a former mayor and his cousin, a city councilor, a village chief, a school principal and his sister also a teacher, a doctor, and other human rights defenders and community leaders.
Activists and human rights defenders have blamed President Duterte’s Memorandum Order 32 of November 2018 ordering additional troops to Negros as well as Bicol and Samar for the increasing number of attacks against civilians. Government authorities meanwhile have put the blame on the New People’s Army, which the latter denied. There are reports that the island will be placed under Martial Law.
As church leaders, we support the position of Bishop Alminaza that Martial Law in the island is not the solution. We fully support Bishop Alminaza’s call for the resumption of the peace negotiations between the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.
As a platform of church leaders working for peace, we always put premium on principled talks rather than a military solution that may result to even more bloodshed. We are unwavering in our position that peace negotiations are still the most viable option to attain a just and enduring peace in the country.
We thus join the clamor for a stop to these killings. We also call on the faithful to continue praying and working for peace not only in Negros but in the whole country “…and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
